Nonnatives' speaking ability = writing ability?

First, just to let you know about my background, I'm an original poster of the post, http://www.antimoon.com/forum/t7702.htm. I'm currently taking an English class. This class is discussion-driven, so most of the class time is spent on exchange of ideas and opinions between a teacher and classmates on various things, ranging from assigned novels to current events. During the discussion, I am always passive, and when I'm picked by the teacher, I always provide very simple opinions consisting of very simple sentences.

As I said in my other posts, I can communicate well via written forms of communication like email, but I can't in person or via telephone. It's probably because, for written forms of communication, I have much, infinite time to say, edit, and add what I want to say, trying to minimize any mistakes in grammar and word choice.

When I'm talking with others in-person, however, I'm expected to talk off the cuff. In person, it's inappropriate and awkward to take much time like 10~30 minutes in formulating my answers to ideas, responses, or questions. So, most of the time, I'm forced to say only simple sentences; this prevents me from expressing myself clearly. One of the reasons I think that contributes to this problem would be that I can't think in English; it's faster and more comfortable to think in my native language.

Anyway, last week, the teacher assigned essay homework due next day. I worked hard on it all by myself and handed in a final draft that was almost flawless in terms of grammar and spelling. After all the papers were marked, the teacher summoned me after class. With my paper in her hand, she asked me if I gained help from someone, implying that she is very sure that I did. I told her I did it by myself, and she gave me a suspicious look, and then just said, "Okay". It's maddening that I worked my ass off on this paper and all that she had to say was "Did someone help you on it?" Judging by how I normally perform and behave during class discussion, I can understand how and why she might’ve thought the way she did, but I just can’t help getting irritated.

I feel very bitter and even offended because my writing ability and effort didn't seem to be recognized and because I seemed to be viewed as a person who presents someone else’s work as my own. Do natives tend to think that non-natives’ oral-English ability equals or doesn’t differ much from written English ability?

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Sorry, I needed to rant.

Oops, please make sure to delete a dot at the end of the link above. Otherwise, it won't work.

http://www.antimoon.com/forum/t7702.htm. should be http://www.antimoon.com/forum/t7702.htm

Hi, Toto, we are so in the same boat. I came to Australia when I was 17, and did not speak a word of English. Since I can speak both Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese, I was discouraged by everyone speaking them in class that I practically did not need to speak English and if I did, they would look at me funny. After I went to uni, as I was doing Media that Asians in general are not interested in, I was one of the few non-Aussies in my class. Yet I got to speak English a little mainly only when participated in discussion. I really do not know how to communicate with people outside my culture. To this day, my English written skill is enough to allow me to get through my study, but my speaking English... I have a rather standard accent, with slight Aussie mannerism, if I can say so myself. I am fluent when talk about school stuff. But when comes to anything else, I sound obviously non-native. I am 24 now. Really too old to change.

I can relate... I can read and write Spanish, but I can't understand the spoken language and I can't speak it very well either. It doesn't help that I don't have very many opportunities to practice, since I haven't found any TV shows or movies in Spanish that I would like to watch, nor are there terribly many people around who speak Spanish.

Anyway, if I had your teacher, I would do something to prove that I didn't have help... maybe have her ask a question that you would write a short response to on the spot. This isn't just to prove that you didn't cheat, but also to show your teacher that your situation can and does happen... something that teachers need to know.

- Kef

I can understand a good deal of written French, but when they start talking to me...

Same with German... Reading German is so much easier for me than listening to a speaker (although it's easier to understand for me than French)...

I have the same problem. The only way to improve your speaking skills is to practice a lot. Make friends and speak to them in English. You are already quite advanced in the language so you should try to speak as much as you can. You should watch alot of movies and sitcoms that would give you a rough idea on spoken form of the language. My problem is that, I keep my sentences long (because I am used to writing long setences). Where a two word answer would be suffice to the question, I normally end up on speaking two sentences. When I have to enquire something on the phone with a native speaker, I end up giving a short monologue before he or she answers my question. It is irritating! Well, I don't know what to apart from watching more conversational programs.

*what to do apart.......

This happens to me with German, I can write it very well, but as I haven't really practised speaking it for ages, when it comes to conversing in the language I can become pretty tongue-tied. Once I went to an employment agency and had to do a written test in German. The consultant said that it was very good. She then started speaking to me in German and I started to falter and was unable to get many words out. Her face just kind of dropped. I was really annoyed with myself as I knew my German was better than that. But I was also annoyed with her, as she also must have known it was better than that, having seen the written test, but she seemed to forget that and treat me like my German was rubbish.